Gruesome hot spring death highlights problems at Yellowstone

His sister reported his fall and rangers tried to navigate the highly-fragile crust of the geyser basin to recover his body, but they have now suspended efforts “due to the extreme nature and futility of it all”.

Colin Scott, 23, had wandered about 225 yards from a designated boardwalk when he fell into the hot spring in the Norris Geyser Basin, in the U.S. state of Wyoming, on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s fatality is the second known thermal-related incident to occur in the park during the 2016 summer season, park officials said. The area was open to the public Wednesday, but park officials asked visitors to expect temporary closures during the investigation.

Eye witnesses reported the accident, which Reid said could have been prevented if park regulations had been followed.

“We extend our sympathy to the Scott family”, Dan Wenk, the park’s superintendent said in a statement.

Visitors can walk more than three kilometres of trails and boardwalks that snake through the basin, bringing them close to geysers, steam vents and acidic water.

“All we know is that there is a person in the hot springs”, Reid said.

Yellowstone National Park officials are expressing their condolences after confirming that a young man has died after falling into a geyser pool.

The crust that makes up the ground in parts of Yellowstone is formed when underground minerals dissolved by the high-temperature water are redeposited on or near the surface.

Other recent tourist incidents at Yellowstone include a 13-year-old boy who got burned Saturday when his father, who had been carrying him, slipped into a different hot spring.

Leaving the park’s boardwalks is illegal.

Last month, Yellowstone managers warned visitors to leave wildlife alone after two tourists put a newborn bison calf in their vehicle, touching off a string of events that ultimately led to the animal’s death. It was ultimately euthanized when it was rejected by the herd.